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ASU Announces Fall Graduation Speaker

November 14, 2012

Angelo State University alumnus A. Mario Castillo, founder and president of The Aegis Group Ltd. in Washington, D.C., will deliver the commencement address during ASU’s fall graduation ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 15, in the Junell Center/Stephens Arena.

Castillo will address graduates of the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services during a 10 a.m. ceremony that Saturday. He will speak to graduates of the College Arts and Sciences and College of Business in a 2 p.m. ceremony. Close to 500 ASU graduates are expected to walk across the stage during the two graduation exercises.

A San Angelo native and 1970 ASU graduate, Castillo also acts as senior manager of public affairs and trade policy for The Aegis Group, a prominent government lobbying and public relations firm. In that capacity, he leads a diverse team of bipartisan political and legislative professionals representing clients in a variety of industries, including food commodities, pharmaceuticals, retail, travel and tourism. The U.S. Congressional Hispanic Caucus has designated him as one of the “Top 25 Hispanic Leaders in the U.S.”

Prior to founding The Aegis Group, Castillo served as chief of staff of the Committee on Agriculture in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly a decade. He has also served as a commissioner of the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities, chairman of the Friends Council of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and board advisor to the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. From 1973-77, he worked as special assistant to the commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In 2004, Gov. Rick Perry appointed Castillo to the Texas Small Business Industrial Development Corporation (TSBIDC), and he has served as chairman and president of the TSBIDC since 2007. He has also served on the board of the Texas Historical Commission since being appointed by Gov. Perry in 2007.

Throughout his career, Castillo has maintained ties to Angelo State. In 1992, the ASU Alumni Association named him a Distinguished Alumnus. He served on the presidential search committee that brought former ASU President Joseph C. Rallo to San Angelo in 2007. Also, he is currently involved in the ASU Honors Program’s Alumni Mentoring Initiative.

Castillo earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and English literature from ASU. He has also attended the University of the Americas in Mexico City and the Washington School of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.